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PHILADELPHIA - On the road for the first time against a league opponent, the Quakers (8-11, 1-4 Ivy) begin a four-game road swing when they travel to New England this weekend. Tip off with Harvard (11-8, 4-1 Ivy) is Friday and the matchup with Dartmouth (3-16, 1-4 Ivy) is set for Saturday night in Hanover. Both games start at 7 p.m.

Catching the GamesVideo and live stats
will be available at GoCrimson.com on Friday. Video and live stats are available at DartmouthSports.com on Saturday. A complete recap and box score can then be found at
PennAthletics.com shortly after the conclusion of each game.

In the Series vs. Harvard/Dartmouth
Other than a 73-72 win for the Quakers on Feb. 6, 2004 at Lavietes Pavilion, Harvard has won every matchup between these teams since 2002. The Crimson are currently riding a 15-game winning streak over Penn and own a 46-21 edge in the series all-time. But Penn has had several near-misses in recent years. Three of the last four meetings in Cambridge came down to the buzzer and were decided by a total of eight points. Dartmouth is 42-23 all-time against Penn. But the teams have been evenly matched in recent years, splitting the last four meetings. Penn last won in Hanover on March 6, 2010—Coach McLaughlin’s first Ivy win at Penn. The Quakers are looking for their first back-to-back wins over the Big Green since sweeping the 2004 season series.

About the Crimson
Harvard lost its first three games against major conference opponents and has since posted an 11-5 mark, including four wins in their first five Ivy contests. Both Harvard and Penn lost to Yale and defeated Columbia. But the Crimson topped Brown and Cornell—both Penn losses. Harvard is third in the Ivies with 65.6 points per game. They lead the league in shooting percentage at 41.4 percent and are third from three-point range (30.6%). Defensively, they rank last among the Ivies in three-point defense (34.2%), but are first in rebounding and third in blocked shots. Christine Clark is third in the Ivy League with 15.9 points per game. Victoria Lippert (12.6) and Brogan Berry (12.1) also average double figures. Berry leads the league in assists (4.8) and Miriam Rutzen is fifth in the Ivies in rebounding (6.5). The top 3 three-point shooters in the Ivy League are from Harvard: Emma Golen (.417), Lippert (.394), Berry (.373).

About the Big Green
Dartmouth played one of the Ivy League’s toughest schedules, but started 2-2. Since then, they have lost 14 of 15 and are winless (0-8) at home this year. Like Penn, they also lost to Saint Joseph’s, La Salle, Brown, Yale and Cornell. But both Dartmouth and Penn beat Columbia. Dartmouth ranks second-to-last in the Ivy League with 51.6 points per game and are last in points allowed at 66.1 per game. They are last in assists, steals, offensive rebounds and turnover margin. However, they rank in the top half of the league in field goal and three-point percentage defense, and are No. 1 among the Ivies with 4.9 blocks per game. Faziah Steen is fourth in the league with 15.6 points per game. Steen’s 45 threes rank first among Ivy players and her 2.2 steals rank third. Tia Dawson leads the league with 39 blocks and is third in the Ivies with 7.0 rebounds per contest. Sasha Dosenko is second in the league with 22 blocks. Nicola Zimmer is third in the league in assists with 3.6 per game.

Harvard’s House of HeartbreakThree of the past four visits to Harvard’s Lavietes Pavilion—including both trips to Cambridge under head coach Mike McLaughlin—have ended in last-second heartbreak for the Quakers. 2008 - Penn led by one when the Crimson hit the game-winner with 14 seconds left. The Quakers couldn’t score at the buzzer.2010 - With the score tied, 52-52, Harvard hit a game-winning three with 1.3 seconds left. The Quakers missed a long three at the buzzer. 2011 - Harvard won in double overtime. They led by one with 11 seconds left in the second OT and forced a Penn turnover. Alyssa Baron set the school’s freshman record with 38 points.

Traveling Quakers
Penn did not leave the city of Philadelphia through its first three games (two at home, one at La Salle). But then, the Quakers logged a lot of miles in December. The team’s exact travels in that month went as follows: Philadelphia-->Niagara Falls, N.Y.-- ->Philadelphia -->Detroit, Mich.-->South Bend, Ind.-->Chicago, Ill.-->Philadelphia-->San Diego, Calif.-- ->Charlotte, N.C.-->Philadelphia. That’s approximately 8,100 miles traveled and 34 hours spent on either bus or plane or the Quakers. Which doesn’t include the time spent in airports and the deplaning in South Bend.

Traveling Quakers Part II
Since those December travels, the Quakers haven’t left Philadelphia. Since returning from San Diego State’s Surf ‘N Slam Classic on Dec. 31, it has been 41 days since Penn left its home city (six home games, three Big 5 games). Once again, you can follow every step of the team’s trips on their twitter account: @PennWomensBball.

No. 7 in the Nation
Penn ranks seventh in the country in three-point defense. Opponents are shooting just 25.0 percent (67-of-268) against the Quakers this year. And only Hampton (58) and South Carolina (37) have given up fewer made threes than Penn.

Penn Trends
A freshman or sophomore has led the team in scoring in 25 of the last 26 games ... Penn has had a freshman in its starting lineup for in 47 straight games ... The Quakers are 7-4 this year when they have fewer turnovers than their opponent ... Penn has forced at least 16 turnovers in each win this year ... Senior Jess Knapp is just six points away from reaching 500 for her career ... In all seven Ivy wins under Coach McLaughlin, the Quakers have not allowed more than 50 points and have won each by at least 11 points (avg. margin of victory is 17.0 ppg).

Two Penn Wins Would...... break a 15-game losing streak against Harvard.
... mark the first back-to-back wins over Dartmouth since winning eight straight from 2001-04.
... make the Quakers 10-11 overall and 3-4 in Ivy play.

A Penn Win Would...... snap a three or four-game losing streak.
... make the Quakers 9-12 on the year and 2-5 in Ivy play.

Two Penn Losses Would...... extend Penn’s longest losing streak to an Ivy opponent to 16 games (Harvard).
... mark the seventh loss in the last eight trips to Leede Arena.
... make the Quakers 8-13 on the year and 1-6 in Ivy play.
... be less good than two wins.

Charge for a Cure!
February: ALS FoundationThe women's basketball team is again
dedicating its entire season to the fight against several diseases and
the team needs your help. Last season, the team started an initiative
which they have coined the "Charge for a Cure" program. The team raised
more than $4,000 through the initiative last year. Each month of the
season will be devoted to help a specific disease with personal ties to
the program - American Cancer Society, Autism Speaks, Luekemia and
Lymphoma Society, the ALS Foundation, and the Michael J. Fox Foundation.
This month, the Quakers will be taking charges for Luekemia and
Lymphoma Society, but the team is
turning to its fans to lend a hand in its efforts. For
more information and to donate to "Charge for a Cure," click here.

Last Time Out
Two tough losses for the Quakers at The Palestra. Penn led at the half, but fell to Yale, 72-60, Friday night. Then on Saturday, Brown topped the Red and Blue in overtime, 59-55. Against the Bulldogs, Katy Allen hit a three early in the second half to give Penn a 30-27 edge. But the Quakers went nearly six minutes before they scored again and Yale’s 13-0 run put the Bulldogs up, 40-30. The Quakers didn’t go away. They chipped Yale’s lead down to six on several occasions - the last of which came with 1:04 remaining following another Kates three-pointer. But the Bulldogs kept Penn just out of reach down the stretch. Against the Bears, Allen had the game-tying three with 2:10 left in regulation. Moments later, with Penn down one, Kara Bonenberger tied it again with a free throw with 15 seconds left. Bonenberger had the first points of the extra session, but Brown had the next seven. Jackie Kates’ steal and layup closed the Penn deficit to 55-53 with 51 seconds left, but the Bears scored with 16 ticks remaining to go back up four.

Up Next
Its the second half of Penn’s four-game Ivy road swing. The Quakers swing through the Empire State to take on Cornell and Columbia. The Quakers take on the Big Red on Feb. 17 and the Lions on Feb. 18.